


Here We Go Again

by toffeemugg



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Bittersweet, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, Movie Night, Oneshot, Slight Canon-Divergence, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26134393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toffeemugg/pseuds/toffeemugg
Summary: It's movie night at the Layton family residence, and Hershel Layton gets himself roped up in watching one of his children's favourite movies - "Mamma Mia!". And despite his initial thoughts, he finds himself being touched by the film and experiencing Emotion. Mainly fluff but with some light angst at the near-end (it's nothing too bad, I promise)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	Here We Go Again

Professor Hershel Layton was a man of many talents.

He was an accomplished professor, archaeologist, fencer, world-renowned puzzle-solver, somehow a lawyer (it’s an extremely long story), and as of sixteen years ago, even a father. And becoming a father of two brilliant young girls and an equally brilliant son comes with its trials. One of those trials is somehow keeping up with the energy and spontaneity of his children. Flora and Katrielle the most. Alfendi was a bit more reserved, but he made up for that with his temper and passion. And despite his three children’s differences, somehow they all teamed up to launch this unexpected attack on him. And for once, Professor Hershel Layton found himself completely unprepared.

“Professor!” Flora’s voice sang from behind Layton’s door, accompanied by a courteous knock. Layton’s scratching of his pencil halted and he lifted his head ever-so-slightly.

“Come in, Flora,” he replied, going back to his copying. The door creaked softly as it swung open. He expected to hear just one pair of footsteps enter his office. He was met with three. Katrielle, now thirteen years old, raced up to his desk and peered over his side to look at what he was working on.

“Dad, you busy?” she asked.

“Well,” Layton chortled, “I _was,_ but I suppose my work can be put on hold for the time being. Flora, what do I owe this entourage of yours?” He slid his chair out and looked at Flora and Alfendi at the entrance of the room. Despite being eighteen years younger than his elder sister, Alfendi already stood at least a six-foot height. Flora walked into the room and stopped at Layton’s chair.

“Since you’re not busy, me, Kat, and Al decided to invite you to a…” Flora turned her head and gestured to Alfendi, “ _drumroll, please, Al?”_

Alfendi grudgingly tapped his knees with the flats of his palm. Flora, with a big smile on her face, turned back to Layton.

“A movie night!”

Katrielle whooped and threw her fists into the air. “Movie night! Heck yeah!”

“A movie night?” Layton repeated, a chuckle coming into his words. “Why, where’d this idea come from?”

“Uncle Des,” explained Alfendi, deadpan. “He said it’d be the best ‘bonding activity’ since you’re so boring.”

Flora gasped. “He didn’t mean it like that, Al! He just thought that it would probably appeal to his tastes, is all.”

“No, he thinks Dad’s boring,” Katrielle interjected, tugging on her ponytail.

“ _Anyway,_ we already picked out a movie for us to watch. We’re setting up in the living room right now,” Flora said, shooting a glare at Katrielle and Alfendi.

“We are?” the younger siblings asked. Flora eyed Alfendi with a signature elder sister evil eye and Alfendi, grimacing awkwardly, took a step back.

“...We are. Come on, Kat, let’s go make some popcorn,” he said, nodding his head to the hallway. Katrielle looked up at Alfendi, then back at her father. She gave him a quick hug, then blew a raspberry at Flora, and finally dashed out the office. Flora watched her run and, with a tired grin, turned back to Layton.

“Come on, Professor, it’ll be fun. I promise,” she said. Layton returned Flora’s smile and prepared to stand up from his chair.

“I suppose a break from my work and some quality time with my children couldn’t hurt. Could you help me up, Flora?” he asked. Flora held out her elbow for him to take. He was about fifty-eight years of age by now, and he wasn’t as agile as he used to be. His days of duelling vampires and tumble stunts were over. He took Flora’s elbow to help stand and right himself. Flora turned off his desk lamp and the two walked out of the office, headed for the living room.

* * *

“Whaddya mean we can’t have a pillow fort?” Katrielle whined.

“ _I_ can’t fit under them!” Alfendi snapped back, pouring the recently popped popcorn into a large bowl.

“No fair. Can we at least have a bunch of pillows and blankets?” she asked. Alfendi pretended to think about it for a moment, then he sighed.

“Sure. Do you want to go get them while I bring this to the living room?” he lifted the bowl of popcorn into his hands as Katrielle excitedly nodded and ran back to the living room.

Meanwhile, Flora and Layton nearly collided with a blur of caramel-coloured hair as Katrielle ran past them. She shouted a brief apology before disappearing into the living room. Flora scoffed and shouted, “Katrielle Layton, you _know_ we don’t run in this household!”

“Let her have some fun, Flora, she’s obviously very excited about this. Speaking of, what movie are we watching? That’s the one thing you’ve been so tight-lipped about,” Layton said. The two descended the last stair and headed into the living room after Katrielle.

“You’ll see. I wanted it to be a surprise! And that’s what it’ll stay,” Flora said.

“So be it! I’m a tad excited myself. I wonder what movie could’ve united you three under one flag.”

* * *

Eventually, the popcorn was finished, the blankets and pillows were gathered, and the family got together on the extremely comfortable couch that sat in the living room. Flora was the one who sat down in front of the television to insert the DVD. Katrielle, having changed into her pyjamas, was snuggled up next to her father with a blanket wrapped around them both. Alfendi sat on the cushioned chair nearby with his own blanket. The popcorn bowl sat on a side table between the chair and couch. Flora stood up from the television and strode over to the couch. Grabbing a pillow, she sat down and grabbed the remote in her hand.

“And… play,” she whispered excitedly, pressing the corresponding button. The television screen darkened, and the opening scene played. A shot of a dark, moonlit ocean and the sound of waves. Layton’s first impression was that perhaps it was another showing of _The Little Mermaid_ , a movie he had sat through probably over a million times when Katrielle was little. But the first vocals of the movie immediately proved him wrong.

 _I know this song,_ he thought to himself as the lyrics continued. _I have a dream… a song to sing… to help me cope with everything…_ Flora had played this song for her piano recital in her senior year. He had heard these lyrics coming from her room many-a-night she stayed home to study for college midterms. He glanced to his side at Flora, who looked back at him with a smug grin.

“This is…” he whispered, but was cut off by Katrielle loudly shushing him. He quieted, but he still shared a gaze with his eldest daughter.

Sooner than later, the title screen appeared. _Mamma Mia._

* * *

The night went on. Layton found himself perplexed, yet entertained by the movie. “What are they reading… oh. Flora, are you sure this is appropriate for Katrielle?” “My, what commitment to a profession!” “ _Three_ eligible fathers?” Eventually, his ponderings dialled down to perplexed murmurs. He recognised some of the numbers in the movie, mostly from the times he overhead Flora’s record player. And despite himself, he loved them. They were fun, catchy, and overall his children seemed to be enjoying themselves, and their infectious enthusiasm and energy for such a movie imprinted onto him. He even caught Katrielle singing along to _Mamma Mia_ and desperately trying with _Money, Money, Money._ Even Alfendi _-_ inflexible, so-called “No-Fun ‘Fendi” - was bopping his head and mouthing the words. Throughout the movie, Layton was puzzling himself over and over about who the real father was. Eventually, his children had to tell him that, “it’s not about the real father, Dad, it’s about family.”

Layton discovered that, despite his initial thoughts, he was deeply moved by the story. The scene with _Our Last Summer_ reminded him of both the years growing up with his children and the last years with Claire. The scene with Donna and Sophie’s argument hurt Layton as a single parent himself. But nothing could’ve prepared him for the onslaught of emotions that was about to come.

 _Slipping Through My Fingers_ played as Sophie reconciled with Donna. The lyrics, the performance, and even just the circumstances of the scene hit his heart with a dagger. He was there with Flora when she was getting married to her then-fiancee, and how bittersweetly did this scene remind him of the eve before the wedding. The lyrics about watching your child grow up before your eyes… Hershel Layton was a very stoic man if anything, but that night Katrielle could’ve sworn she saw a tear in her father’s eye at the end of the scene. _S.O.S._ hit equally as hard, though for different reasons. Layton remembered this song. It was Claire’s favourite.

_So when you’re near me, darling, can’t you hear me, S.O.S.?_

_The love you gave me, nothing else can save me, S.O.S._

Layton felt something choke him in his throat. It had been a little over twenty-five years since her passing, and yet there were still things that got the better of him. Her favourites still lit up images of her face in his mind. Her voice, like twinkling bells, often half-sang the lyrics to this song on mornings when she was getting ready for a conference on her work. Whenever the song would come on in a department store or in a restaurant. Whenever she dragged Layton into an impromptu dance session. Twenty-five years ago...

_When you're gone_

_How can I even try to go on?_

_When you're gone_

_Though I try, how can I carry on?_

Eventually, the movie resolved. Alfendi had finished off all the popcorn and Katrielle had fallen asleep by the end of it. Flora got up and took the DVD out and shut off the television.

“...So?” she asked tentatively. Layton blinked himself back to reality and gave Flora a warm smile.

“I loved it,” he said, trying to discreetly wipe away his tears. Flora’s eyes lit up excitedly, though despite her excitement she took notice of her father’s actions. She stood up again and put the DVD case back on the shelf.

“Really?”

“Really. Now, let us cap off this night with some well-deserved rest,” he said. “I’ll take Katrielle to her room. Alfendi? Are you well on your own?”

“Hm?” Alfendi lifted his head and glanced at his father. “Oh, yeah, don’t worry about it old man. I’ll clean up.”

“Don’t worry about it. We can clean in the morning,” Layton said. “Just sleep.” Alfendi threw the blanket off himself and got up from the chair. Scratching his head, he walked past the couches and towards the staircase.

“Goodnight, Dad,” he called. Layton had picked up Katrielle by this point - she wasn’t super heavy due to her height - and held her in his arms.

“Flora?” he turned to his eldest. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Yeah, I’m turning in. Thanks for watching with us. It… it means a lot to me.” 

“Of course. I love you, Flora.”

“I love you too, Professor.”

**Author's Note:**

> THANKS TO THE LAYTON DISCORD FOR GIVING ME THIS IDEA I LOVE ALL YA'LL <3 <3 <3  
> anyways hell yeah abba time  
> it felt nice to work on something other than l&l for a change, and i feel like this is exactly what i needed. update for it soon... ish? it comes out when it comes out lol  
> also yes flora is married, yes they're lesbians, harold--


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